Ivan Petrovich Pavlov, 1849 - 1936

Abstract

With the death of Ivan Petrovich Pavlov on 27 February, 1936, in his 86th year, there passed away one of the greatest physiologists of the last and the present century. Pavlov was possibly also the most popular and the best known man in the physiological world. The immense prestige which he had and the esteem in which he was held by his contem poraries can only partly be explained by his outstanding scientific achievements; to a large extent they were also due to his remarkably attractive and arresting personality. His im pulsive, straightforward, on the whole rather simple, joyous, and kind attitude to everybody around him evoked a feeling of warm affection and admiration in all who knew him. Coming from far distant Russia, during his long and active life— Pavlov was born on 27 September, 1849— he reached a position in Science which was unique, almost legendary. In order to understand Pavlov he must be described both as a scientist and as a man. Pavlov, the eldest son of a poor priest, was born in Central Russia in the rather out-of-the-way district town of Ryazan. The life of the provincial clergy was at that time an extremely difficult one. In fact, it hardly differed from that of the peasants. The clergyman had to work his own land and had practically no other source of income beside the food which he could raise himself.